Sandra Bullock and Fabulous Grilled Cheese

Back in August I went to Austin, TX for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. We stayed in an amazing house right along the Indian River in Bee Cave. One of the days we traveled in to Austin and went to Sandra Bullock's deli, Walton's, for lunch. The decor was so awesome, very relaxed and comfy.

I ordered this fab-u-lous Grilled Cheese with Bacon sandwich. OMG!!!! Can I just tell you how incredibly good it was!!!! There was soooooo much cheese and huge, thick pieces of bacon! Seriously, it was nothing I have ever had before and believe me, I consider myself a connoisseur of Grilled Cheese!!! :)

This is a picture of the inside of the restaurant.

And this is the front window.

We didn't run into Sandra that day, but last year when my friend Jessie was there, Sandra was sitting at the next table writing. So cool right? Love her!

Chex Party Mix Bowl (well kind of)

A couple of weeks I went to a patio party at my friends Kim and John's place. They built a new patio in their yard and had a party to break it in. I saw this recipe for a Chex Party Mix Bowl in a magazine and thought I would give it a try. It really wasn't that difficult to make; although, mine fell apart. :)You just take a bag of Chex Party Mix (you use 8 cups).

Then take 2 egg whites

and beat until stiff peaks form. I love the little egg separator utensil I have. I use it all the time. It's just plastic and you can find it in any kitchen section of any store really.

Then mix the egg whites with the Chex Party Mix.

Put it into an oven safe bowl. Take a piece of aluminum foil and place in the bowl on top of the Chex Party Mix. You can use the foil to push the Chex Party Mix up the sides of the bowl.

Put the bowl in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes and then remove the foil. Wait until completely cool and then turn the bowl upside down and remove from the Chex Party Mix. What you should have is a nice round bowl.

Instead, this is what I had. Ha! I think I didn't make the Chex Party Mix thick enough up the sides of the bowl. Just make sure it is THICK. Plus, I think I needed a wide bowl and one that wasn't so deep; gravity was not our friend that day. :)

Hey, it's a work in progress. Haven't you ever made something and the first time you made it, it didn't turn out correctly? Next time it will turn out better I'm sure.

My Grandma Reed's Stuffed Peppers

These are not like your average stuffed green peppers. There is no hamburger, no rice and no tomato sauce. I had actually never heard of stuffed green peppers made with hamburger, rice and tomato sauce until a couple of years ago. I was at a restaurant and ordered the stuffed peppers and when they came to the table I looked down at my plate and wondered if they mixed up my order with someone else's. They said no. Hmmmm, strange. You see, the stuffed green peppers I always had growing up were made with bread, cheese and butter and then cooked in chicken noodle soup. Yep! It is fab-u-lous!!! So so good!!!!! And it is how my grandma Reed always made them and how my mom made them too.

First you cut off the top of some green peppers so they can sit upright on their own.

Then you dice up some bread or you can tear it apart. How much you use really depends on how many green peppers you have. I had eight and I used about half a loaf of bread.

You then dice up some sharp cheddar cheese. I just buy a block of the Kraft Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Then melt some butter. Again, how much you need depends on many peppers you have. I like mine cheesy too. :)

Mix everything together in a bowl and add in some salt and pepper. Stuff the green peppers with the stuffing mixture. I also add a piece of cheese to the top of each pepper.

Next, in a large on pot on top of the stove, cook a can of chicken noodle soup with one can of water. Set the stuffed green peppers down in the chicken noodle soup so they are sitting upright. Cover with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes or so. The peppers should be somewhat soft and the cheese on top should be melted.

Put on a plate and pour some chicken noodle soup over the top. OMG!!!! It is sooooooo good!! You've got to try them like this. Seriously, tell me you're going to make them tomorrow night because you know it sounds so good, right?

Strawberry Fields Forever

No, this isn't a Beatles tribute. :) This is a fab-u-lous Strawberry cake. It is actually out of Paula Deen's magazine and y'all know how fantastic her recipes and foods are. Well, this was no different and it most definitely did not disappoint.

You first just take a white cake mix.

A box of Strawberry Jell-O.

Frozen Strawberries in Syrup (thawed and pureed).

And eggs.

Mix the box of white cake mix with the box of Strawberry Jello, 4 eggs and the 10-ounce package of pureed strawberries and 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of water.

Pour into two 8-inch round cake pans. I used 9-inch because that's what I had, but the 8-inch make a higher layered cake.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes (mine actually took more like 35 minutes until a toothpick came out clean).

Cool completely on a cooling rack before icing the cakes.

I made my own Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. This is really simple and really so much better than the store bought kind.

For the frosting, you combine 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1 8-oz package of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of pureed frozen strawberries in syrup, 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry extract and 7 cups of confections' sugar. Just mix this all up and that's it! See, it is really, really easy and oh so good! Seriously, you will DEFINITELY be licking this bowl!!! Ha!

I then decorated it with some sliced strawberries. It is so pretty right? Everyone loved it! It was soooooo moist!! You've got to make this today. Let it be the last hurrah for the summer!! :)